The Style Olympics: What the Athletes Will Wear in Rio

Every two years, the Olympic Games treat us to athletic performances that secure a place in history and fill our hearts with nationalistic pride. But aside from the athletes’ nail-biting quests for Olympic gold, the world is also watching (and judging) Olympic style, both in the competitive field and, most notably, at the opening and closing ceremonies. In recent years, the Parade of Nations has turned into something of a runway.

Polo Ralph Lauren has been the official outfitter of team USA since 2008. Prior to the brand’s American prep-school aesthetic as seen in Beijing, Vancouver, London, Sochi, and, soon, Rio, American athletes wore uniforms by labels such as Levi Strauss, Hanes, and Spalding. The list also includes Roots, a Canadian clothing company that provided outfits in 2002 and 2006.

Ralph Lauren’s partnership with the Games marks a serious shift in Olympic sportswear that has included Giorgio Armani for Italy, Stella McCartney for Great Britain, Lacoste’s Felipe Oliveira Baptista for France, and, as of this year, Christian Louboutin for Cuba.

Christian Louboutin's closing ceremony uniforms for Cuba.

Louboutin

Cuba’s Olympic team announced last month that its athletes will be dressed head to toe in Louboutin (in collaboration with French E-concept store Sporty Henri) for the closing ceremony, which obviously includes some seriously stylish kicks. As part of their official uniforms, the athletes will be sporting calf-leather loafers, high-tops, and kitten-heel sandals. And this Friday, Team USA will head into the arena sporting white denim jeans, Polo pony-emblazoned blazers, and red-white-and-blue-striped tees.

To prep them for what’s possibly the world’s biggest runway, the athletes, normally accustomed to living in sweats and sneakers, are treated to a true atelier experience.

“For the opening ceremony, you actually go get fitted for [the uniforms] at Ralph Lauren, so everything is custom to your body,” says Jen Kessy, 2012 Olympic silver medalist in beach volleyball. “It was such a big honor to have that done. When I first looked at the mirror, I thought, Oh, my God. I’m going to the Olympics.”

Sketches of the Polo Ralph Lauren uniforms for the 2016 Olympics opening ceremony.

“I’ve never felt so much honor and pride in representing my country than I did in just trying [the opening-ceremony uniform] on,” says Nastia Liukin, five-time Olympic medalist and a member of the 2008’s women’s gymnastics team. “I’ll always remember that feeling.”

But fashion is never free of criticism—and the Olympics are no exception. When Ralph Lauren revealed its closing-ceremony outfits—a red, white, or blue button-down shirt, chinos, and striped belts—in April, the design was met with mixed reactions. What the company referred to as the perfect combination of “sport and style” was actually criticized (in the words of Slate) as “prep school hell.”

In fairness, designing for the Olympics might just be the toughest challenge a designer can face. Not only are brands tasked with creating a look memorable enough to represent an entire nation, they have to imbue it with a certain amount of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-esque “magic”—imagine creating a singular uniform that will look just as good on the 4-foot-11 body of a 16-year-old gymnast and the 6-foot-3 frame of an Olympic basketball player. It’s the ultimate test of form meets function.

Stella McCartney presents her 2016 Olympic kit for Great Britain.

Courtesy of Adidas

No designer has nailed this quite as well as Stella McCartney, who has been designing Great Britain’s competition uniforms since the 2012 London Olympics. Created in collaboration with Adidas, this year’s kits (Brit-speak for uniform) feature a heraldic coat of arms—perhaps a response to the criticisms that 2012’s deconstructed–Union Jack outfits weren’t quite patriotic enough for the delegation.

Both Kessy and Liukin are major Ralph Lauren fans, but that hasn’t stopped them from fantasizing about what other Olympic-level designer collaborations might look like.

Advertisement

“I’m obsessed with Marc Jacobs,” says Kessy. “It would be nice if he got a shot to design some of the Olympic bags.”

As for Liukin, who has modeled for brands such as BCBG Max Azria and has been a front-row fixture at fashion week, she favors overseas brands. “I do love Stella McCartney. [Her designs] are timeless and elegant,” she says. “I would love to see Chanel design something. They’d have some pretty cool shoes, but I don’t know if the guys would like that.”

If history so far has been any indication, it might not be long before the opening-ceremony looks and the opening runway looks from fashion week could seamlessly sit side by side in the same collection. Rio has already booked Gisele Bündchen, after all.